Stem Cell Research Support and Advocacy

I am a strong advocate of Stem Cell research because of the potential benefits it will have to humanity. Stem cells may very well cure every disease humans get and even potentially cure aging in general. If you are interested in supporting Stem Cell research, I compiled a list of major institutions and organizations dedicated to research and advocacy. Because I care more about actual research than advocacy, I tried to find information from these organizations on how the money you donated is used, surprisingly it was difficult to ascertain that information, the American Diabetes Association did state it explicitly, but this information appears difficult to find. I emailed a few to find out and will be updating as I hear back from them.

- Update - the Director of the Bedford Research Foundation has responded

I am more leery of Advocacy organizations because they do not directly contribute to research, and it is all to easy to donate to them thinking that you are donating to actual stem cell research, when in reality none of the money you donated is going to any research, only toward marketing, more fundraising, and political advocacy. While these are important and have their place, it is, unfortunately, these organizations which tend to get the most coverage (since they are the loudest in proclaiming their support) but yet do the least amount of tangible research. Because they are still important, I included some advocacy organizations at the bottom of this list. If you know of another organization let me know and I will add it to the list.

Research Institutes for donation

Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation
http://www.bedfordresearch.org
Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation is a biomedical institute which exists to conduct stem cell and related research for diseases and conditions which currently have no effective methods of treatment or cure

$Where does your money go? - "We estimate donations to stem cell research are utilized for direct research support at about 88 to 90%. For the most part, our fundraising efforts are volunteer"

 

American Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.org/
The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading 501(C)3 nonprofit health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy. The mission of the Association is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

$Where does your money go? - 78% to research, advocacy, or services. 23% goes to research alone. 4% to management. 18% to fund Raising.

 

University of California, Irvine, Stem Cell Research Center
http://stemcell.uci.edu/
Scientists at the UCI Stem Cell Research Center echo the mainstream medical community in believing that explorations of stem cell biology present unique opportunities to improve our understanding of disease and foster the development of new, more effective therapies for devastating illnesses.

$Where does your money go? -

 

Harvard Stem Cell Institute (Boston area advocates take note!!)
http://www.hsci.harvard.edu/
HSCI supports research into all aspects of stem cell biology, including both embryonic and adult stem cells. Our primary emphasis is on the search for new therapies for serious diseases, including, among others, diabetes, neurological disease, cardiovascular disease, blood disease and cancer.

According to this article at the Boston Globe from 2/10/07 - http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/blog/2007/10/mass_law_slows.html - "Harvard University Stem Cell Institute's research into one of medicine's most promising, if controversial fields, has been slowed by lack of raw materials; human eggs. More than a year after Harvard vowed to create cloned human embryonic stem cells for research, the institute has not been able to persuade a single eligible woman to donate a single egg." Women in the Boston area take note! The Harvard Stem cell institute is Actively recruiting couples who are willing to donate embryos and women who are willing to donate eggs for our research, to learn how to Participate in Stem Cell Research at Harvard see - http://www.hsci.harvard.edu/participating_in_research

$Where does your money go? - Research 40% from - http://www.hsci.harvard.edu/files/HSCI_Annual_Report_2006.pdf pg32

 

University of California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, San Francisco
http://irm.ucsf.edu/
Your gift will accelerate the pace of scientific discovery at the Institute for Regeneration Medicine, enabling top researchers and clinicians to explore the potential of embryonic or adult stem cells to replace, repair and regenerate tissues and organs. Researching Blood and Immune Cells; Bone, cartilage and muscle; brain and nervous system; cancer; cardiovascular; diabetes and liver; gastrointestinal and skin; reproduction and fertility.

$Where does your money go? -

 

Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota
http://www.stemcell.umn.edu/
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Stem Cell Institute seek the treatments that will make a difference in quality of life for patients suffering from such diseases as Parkinson's, diabetes, heart disease, muscular dystrophy, and more.

$Where does your money go? - financial breakdown - http://www.mmf.umn.edu/about/story.cfm?id=313

Advocacy

StemPAC
http://www.stempac.com/
StemPAC, an effort to fight back for stem cell research, was formed by long time political activists who have helped lead some of the most successful grassroots movements in recent history.

 

The Stem Cell Action Network
http://stemcellaction.org
We join with our nation's scientific and medical associations and institutes in supporting stem cell research, including somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), because it is safe, ethical, and therapeutically promising. This research has the potential to cure many so-called "hopeless" childhood and adult medical conditions, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, juvenile diabetes, M.S., A.L.S. and spinal cord injury.

Stem Cell Reasearch News

Medical News Today query on Stem Cell news.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/stem_cell/

Last updated - 16-Oct-2007

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